the century mark

i reached the century mark for my comedy 'ring of honor' by adding 3 photos this evening. it was a project i started more than 5 years ago, wanting to document my comedy career and the friends i have met along the way. sadly, two of them are dead- bill young and roger Schultz. i know how more are deserving, and no big deal how i have added fewer people this year- just 6. i got more serious about my own stage time, and i see nothing wrong with saying it mostly has to be those who are getting me stage time.
   going to Walgreen for the photos was part of my errand running  this evening. the other thing was to find some TV dinners for the week, and hopefully some egg nog although it is late in the season. on my third attempt i found the TV dinners, at a cub foods. hard to say how much more i want to search for egg nog, one store still had it but it was organic and i have already passed on soy milk egg nog. when i was at cub foods i got a donut as well, and ate it shortly after it was paid for. i was hungry and ate it in the entryway. then i went home and ate the second half of a pizza, after picking up the photo order.
   i watched most of the bears-Vikings football game on TV this afternoon, bears lost 23-10. it was a big deal that i didn't attend as i had seen this matchup many times before. but i am still unemployed and the tickets were expensive when i checked on the Ticketmaster, and stubhub, sites. since the Vikings are headed for the playoffs. i fell asleep while watching the game after it. but i knew that i needed to get up eventually and go do some things.
   i did my year-end facebook posting, saying i have had a good year and how i perform more frequently now, most of the time at least 6 nights a week. but i didn't land that many paid gigs, so hopefully in the new year i will land way more. i know i am ready for it. i ended the posting with how i wanted stage time tonight, so it made sense to go do some karaoke since i had done so much of it during this year. i did 'sweet jane' by the cowboy junkies. i was a little worried about my drink, which was on the floor near me, as somebody walked by really close to it. this explains why i lost a little focus and of course the words keep coming on the screen, but i regained my focus quickly.
  new year's eve does make me think about how i have celebrated it in previous years. since there were TV monitors on at the bar we saw what it looked like from times square in new York. it reminded me of dean hellyer, a friend of my dad's from the maytag plant, a babysitter of mine. he once said 'it already says midnight but it isn't here yet'. of course there is a slight time difference, one hour. but the TV screen had the countdown in one corner, once it was under an hour in our time zone. and i think of attending a concert when living in suburban Chicago, the barenaked ladies. and wearing a gangster costume to a bar one year, a gaudy outfit. and last year, getting stage time at a comedy show thanks to conga line.
  i didn't want to watch the NYE show on fox tonight, on instead of  'the simpsons', so i changed it to antenna TV, a rerun channel. eventually they had the final episode of 'newhart' on, i recall seeing it when it was new. and eventually understanding how it borrowed a lot from 'fiddler on the roof' after seeing that play. funny to hear Newhart saying 'get out, lenny!' when lenny tried to play a fiddle.
 

press for heat

in this subzero weather, seeing 'press for heat' at a light rail stop was helpful. i hadn't used it much before, but knowing it was a 5-minute wait for the next train i knew i would benefit from it. although another helpful thing was just plain having some shelter from the cold there. i decided to take light rail to and from where i was parked tonight to get to the gopher hockey game. i parked on the west bank and the light rail is just one stop away from the rest of the campus. the gophers beat west point, or army, 4-1. first goal was midway through the 1st, and the 2nd goal was near the end of the period. gophers got the next goal early in the 2nd, and went up 4-0 midway through the 3rd. army got their only goal shortly after the gophers went up 4-0. the news said that some of the gopher players were on loan to the national team. i know there was something about a game against Canada at the football stadium near buffalo, new York, recently. not sure if that is where the gopher players were, as it sounds like there are multiple national teams, sometimes based on the age of the players. i bought the ticket earlier today. usually i buy it much farther in advance, but it sounded like i was in the running for some stage time this weekend. when i didn't get official word, i figured that meant it had fell through. so nothing wrong with going to do something else. it was my second gopher game of the season, and will be the final one. the most i attend per year is usually two, some years it is just one. i made sure to arrive early as i wanted to see all of the game. i had more time to eat for this reason, and didn't have to eat at the venue where it is more expensive. i went to the burger king and had a fish sandwich. nothing  at noodles and company was of interest to me. i also walked past the former campus pizza place, i performed at that venue. it now serves Mexican food. after the game i did go out again eventually, and performed some karaoke. I chose 'when i come around' by green day. i saw the man that likes to wear the st. louis cardinals hat, and we spoke for a while. he introduced me to another performer that sang just before i did.

raindrops keep falling on my head

i went to 2 karaoke venues tonight. at the second, i did 'raindrops keep falling on my head' by BJ Thomas. i had read how it was part of the movie 'butch Cassidy and the sundance kid' from 1969. i had to look up the performer so i could do the song myself. i read the biography of dick enberg, 'oh my', and there was a story about him singing this song at a UCLA basketball game. does it fit what i am going through at this point and time? possibly. lines like 'not going to stop the rain by complaining' and nothing is worrying me'. since i am still unemployed. the part about rain does not, since it is subzero weather again. i did one song at the first venue as well, balloon artist is MC there. i did 'good life' by one republic. i liked the part about London, since i have been there. and since i am a recluse, the part about my friends wondering where i am. i noticed some balloons that were touching the ceiling, wonder if they ever get them down, there was three.
   i had a haircut in the afternoon, probably long overdue since it had been more than 3 months. i liked talking about various subjects with the stylist, such as 'anne of green gables' and ice cream cakes from dairy queen. at times i have said i wish i had a sunny personality like some of the people that i know. but i know i am dour, and have been for a while.
   i did more 'pounding the pavement' including going to downtown st. paul to scout out some temp agencies. i made it to three, not sure where the fourth was unless it had been closed. things change of course, and i saw some mention of 'space available'. i also went to the state office and picked up some flyers, including one about a big job fair next week. i made some calls to agencies, but some things will have to wait until next week for the new year. one stop was in the wells fargo building, floor 31. i had never been up to a floor beyond skyway level there. reminded me a little of taking elevators at the tower formerly known as sears in Chicago, some were express elevators.

floor pizza

i performed at two venues tonight. the second was where a big deal was made about pizza falling on the floor, and some comics were still willing to eat it. reminded me of a 'simpsons' episode where bart was delighted to see 'trash cookies'. i passed on the pizza even though it was offered to me, as i had eaten before i got to the venue. i missed it as to how it ended up on the floor, even though i usually pay attention really well. i just know it was at the end of a comic's set. still not sure if it was done on purpose, with comedians one never knows. since some believe in 'anything for a laugh'.
   i wasn't thrilled when i called one temp agency, the one i applied with this month, to follow up. i was told they wouldn't place me because they think i sounded too frustrated and angry. of course i am, who isn't when they are unemployed? this became part of my comedy set tonight, and the final joke i did. i guess i didn't think i was all that frustrated or angry with them, the term the agency used was 'short' with their staff. well i wanted to get the paperwork done quick. at the same time, i may not need them anyway. since i checked their website and it looks like they had little or nothing in my field. i applied with them since they were at a job fair i attended, and it was the only firm that anything close to something in my field. i will take it with a grain of salt as to what they said to me, as i see it as being 'passionate' more than anything else. and they were too quick to judge me. there is somebody that will want to give a chance to me, a 'diamond in the rough'.
   the first venue i performed at was a micro-brewery, inside what was once a big brewery complex, first time there was this month for an art event where i bought two postcards. except i found out one of the employees was not correct about how they no longer have comedy shows. i don't like being lied to at all. but this happens all the time, if people don't know the answer they just make stuff up. i would prefer that they be honest with me and say 'i don't know' if they really don't know.

DNA results arrived

the Ancestry DNA results arrived by email this morning. i wasn't expecting them this early since I sent back the 'spit sample' less than a month ago. it was a little surprising, but not all if it. top three were great Britain, finland/NW Russia, and Europe east. this was 90 percent. five other categories were listed, but each one of those was 4 percent or less. it doesn't seem to match up with hearing about immigrant great-grandparents, one from Germany and one from Norway. so some questions were answered, although i am left asking some as well. there also was some mention of migrations within America. this was ohio river valley, Indiana, Illinois and iowa settlers. i am familiar with how some of them started in Virginia and eventually arrived in iowa.
  i had another job interview this afternoon, it was number 6 since i was laid off in October. it may not be a big deal if i don't get this one, as early on i was told how it would likely last just 6 months as the office is being closed soon. it is close to my former workplace, and i noticed some post-its that looked familiar, having the name of a former company owner on them. i also followed up with 2 other agencies, but no offers yet. one of them didn't return my call.
   i performed at 2 different venues tonight, comedy at the first and karaoke at the second. the songs i did at the karaoke venue were 'istanbul' by they might be giants, and 'fade into you' by mazzy star.

6 cards, 2 shows

since it is after Christmas now, i figured it was time to respond to the cards sent me. there were 6, some from family, some from friends. actually, the two friends were classmates from high school. these are people that i don't hear from that often, but i like getting the cards of course. one went to Wisconsin, the others to Iowa. although it is a lower number than what i was getting. i also decided to check my PO box, since i was already there. two of my e-bay orders were there, including the state quarter. i have acquired all of them so far, and there are 16 left in this series. i knew i wanted to type up letters to some of them, so it meant going to the library first. as expected, i took a while on the letters as i wanted them to sound correct in my mind. i printed a few things there as well, including the letter to the editor that was published last week in my hometown paper. i like doing that letter on an annual basis as i like getting published somewhere.
   i performed at two shows in the evening. at the first one, it was nice to see the little guy that is now in Hollywood and doing bit-parts in movies. he was still in high school when we started doing stand-up around the same time, in 2008. he did see my set and noticed how my sets are way better now. i like seeing people from those early days, another one of them is the wolf. although i don't see him that much either. but we are all busy in our lives, even if we live in the area we still might not make it to the clubs that much. i didn't do the typical walk after the second show, since it was really cold, subzero weather.

bachelor zebra

i did another meetup event, it was a walk at the como zoo in st. paul. no surprise how most animals are inside during the winter. this included the giraffes and zebras in the same building. there were messages on the mats, about Christmas. for the zebra, it said 'dear santa, all i want for Christmas is a lady friend'. i thought this was funny. there were four stockings on the wall for the giraffes. the polar bear likely enjoyed being outside, even though it was subzero weather. the bear was eating out of a bag. i saw two azalea trees, and it made me think of iggy azalea, the musician. i even said 'who dat who that, IGGY' for this reason.
    i went outside to take out the trash and recycle, but i felt cold fairly quickly. so of course i enjoyed staying inside for most of the day. this included getting out my DVD copy of 'Christmas vacation' starring chevy chase. i recall seeing it at the theater. it was nice to see 'yule log' as well, but i am thankful i had some things to do besides watching TV. especially when some songs i heard multiple times. so it was nice to see any change of scenery, such as when a log or two was added to the fire. and i still watched my normal programs, such as the local news, and a 'big bang theory' rerun. i also went out to perform, since an open-mic was still happening tonight. i did ones about a thespian, holiday facebook postings, meetup events, bowl games, moving my coat, and some holiday memories.

lake harriet spiritual community

i went to another meetup potluck tonight, it was at lake harriet spiritual community in Minneapolis. the guy doing the board games was one of the event coordinators. i played one, 'taboo'. some words were hard, due to what 5 words were taboo, but others were no problem for me. for whatever reason, we never played the one called 'balderdash'. that one had a goodwill sticker on it, a reminder of some good deals to be found at resale shops. one lady in the same game spoke of being from Richmond, VA, and it was a reminder of how i have visited there, but it has been a while. i brought some little cupcakes that were bought at a target express. as expected, i didn't stay for the entire time allotment. i was tired and had a cold, kept wiping my nose while there. also wanted to get to another event, which was a Christmas eve church service.
   i made an observation of how we may be too awash in pop culture, since i thought of Charlie brown, as well as the simpsons, while there. since a song, 'hark the herald angels sing', and the scripture that linus quotes were a part of it. then there was the preacher trying to sound hip, making a 'star wars' reference. now i have 'yule log' on, i like watching it each year. plenty of music, and seeing the fireplace as well. now they are doing a johnny cash song, his version of 'it came upon a midnight clear'.
   it was a fairly leisurely day for a while. i pulled out a DVD and watched it, 'touchdown in the heartland', about the Aplington-parkersburg football season back in 2008. i must have been thinking about it after watching the movie about Brandon bulsworth, something about it made me think of the late ed Thomas. then i watched some pro football, mostly falcons-saints in new Orleans, the saints won. after getting back from church i did the dishes.

allison road, gin blossoms

tonight i did some karaoke, and chose 'Allison road' by the gin blossoms. of course their music reminds me of being in college, as i saw them in concert then. something about this song made me choose it over, say, another one of theirs'- 'hey jealousy'. lines like 'i didn't know, i was lost at the time' and this is one of their songs where one hears them say 'fool'. i saw a friend of the button as well, not long after i arrived. she spoke of wanting to get brussels sprouts, or 'b-sprouts' at a nearby place. i heard her do one song, and left just as she was going to do another one, as it was getting late. as i recall, i heard her do 'hard to say goodbye' by boys to men. she did elaborate on her upcoming move to Colorado.
   earlier in the evening i went to a holiday play, done by whopper. a different take on Christmas stories, no doubt. as it had FBI agents in it, and was about a candy cane, santa, and frosty. his troupe does good plays, also said so to his cohort, the david spade look-alike. i said the only thing better would be to be in the cast, hard to say when that will happen.
    before the evening, there wasn't all that much to do. there was the typical getting a breakfast sandwich, and going to my PO box, but otherwise that was it. might explain why i just slept for a while in the afternoon, after going to the grocery store. two more orders were at the post office, a flyer for a movie based on an emerson hough book, and a postcard of the rathskeller at the hamm's brewery.

dick enberg

this morning i saw something online how sports broadcaster dick enberg had died. i have his book, called 'oh my!' he liked to say that while calling a game. i liked how he was well-spoken while calling a game, and his auto-bio seemed to say why. he earned a doctorate and was an instructor before he decided to be a broadcaster full-time. i was wondering what kind of awards he had received, found out he has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame. already knew he was inducted into the baseball hall of fame, and i have a trading card from his time at NBC. he announced the rose bowl, a college football bowl game, for a while, but was not the grand marshal. also not yet a recipient of the president's medal of freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor. another broadcaster, vin scully, has been given this honor. though this award is sometimes given posthumously. kind of odd how none have been awarded yet by mr. trump, though it sounds like Obama awarded one to his v.p. in January, with about a week left in his term. i know enberg had some movie roles, usually playing himself, a sports announcer. one of these was 'mr. 3000', i had written about it in early 2013. there was something on the CBS evening news, though i don't understand why a clip from announcing football wasn't from a super bowl as he called some super bowls. sounds like he stayed active after retiring from broadcasting last year, doing a podcast. i decided to re-tweet tom brokaw, who reacted to enberg's passing. and it led to me deciding to follow enberg's account. just as important, it was long overdue to do a cleanup of my twitter account. i have cut back on what accounts i was following, cutting about 100 and now i am down to less than 300. my number of followers is under 300 as well.
  i performed at two different karaoke venues tonight. i did one song at the first, 'everybody is free to wear sunscreen' by baz luhrmann. at the second venue i did two. it was 'crazy times' by jars of clay' and 'king without a crown' by matisyahu. it led to a weird interaction with the general public. i leave my coat on the back of a chair and go get beer, choosing that table as i briefly talked with a lady there who recognized me from a different karaoke venue. i see how a man decides to sit there, so i move the coat to another table. he still wants to talk to me, i say i prefer to sit by myself, it is fine, we are cool. not good enough for this dude. OK. so he sits down at my table, we talk things through, covering various subjects, and i end up going back to the first table! not the ending i had expected, as people usually leave me alone after i rebuff them. but i tend to respond well when somebody shows that they want to be diplomatic to me.

popcorn and ravioli

   there was just one time that i left my home today, before going out to perform in the evening. it was to go to the family dollar and get two items, a box of microwave popcorn, and a can of ravioli. the total was just under two dollars. i am still waiting to hear something good on the job front. i got my copy of the background check and finger-printing from last week, i am eligible, no surprise there. but also no offer yet. i will want to follow up with the agency soon to see what they have available for me, as the agency asked me to do the finger-printing. i sent a thank you message to both interviewers in the evening, from the previous day, before i went out to perform. i did the best i could to continue to make a case for my candidacy. after i was done performing i got some peanut butter cookies at a nearby super-America. this place is in uptown Minneapolis, a fairly new venue to me. but i had known about the show for a while, and hadn't been there as it started kind of late and i wanted to be up for work in the morning on time. but while i am 'on vacation' i don't have the same concern of course. i have hardly ever set my alarm clock since the middle of October for this reason. if i have meetings or appointments, they usually aren't early in the day. it comes as no surprise how i am eating at home more often now since it is cheaper. it explains my visit to the family dollar.

greater movie, brandon bulsworth

i had a free redbox code to use, as it was expiring at the end of the month. so i used it to see 'greater', a bio-pic about Brandon bulsworth, a football player. since i was equipment manager on my high school's football team i like football. and as a 'stodgy academic' i am partial to bio-pics. so when i saw it while searching for a good one i said 'that's the one!' i was unfamiliar with his story, as he was from Arkansas. but i liked this movie. sometimes i said 'you can't coach desire' too often, but he sure had it, making the college team as a walk-on. it of course made me think of some other bio-pics, including 'brian's song' as one line from that earlier movie fit this one. 'ernest hemingway said every true story ends in death'. in this case, it seemed sad from the word go when it started out with the main character's death. and then his life story was told in various flashbacks. i didn't recognize many actors in it, just one, leslie Easterbrook, who was in the 'police academy' movies. some of what was in the timeline of the movie reminded me of where i was at that time in my life. i was living in suburban Chicago near the end of the time period covered, which is 1999.
   i had a job interview this morning, and i would like to think it went well. but i won't know right away, as it is close to the holidays. and what i know is that i seem to say the same thing on most interviews, and first dates. how i hit the right chords and most of the time i am wrong. i will hope for the best, but it was my fifth interview and no offers yet. so it would be foolish to stop looking, when there are no offers yet. at this point i must be realistic and know i would be back at work on January 1 at the earliest. it was the first time i recalled speaking freely about being a performer- at an interview.
    i performed at two different venues tonight. first was karaoke, i did one song, 'torn' by natalie imbruglia. some really enjoyed it, saw somebody holding up a cigarette lighter like we were at a concert. i saw a friend of 'the button' as well, two of them actually. but i know one better than the other. the first is the one i have seen at another venue, she did 'my heart will go on', it was from the 'titanic' movie. the other did a Kelly Clarkson song, 'since you been gone'. then i went to another venue as it was crowded. and i was on near the end of the lineup and i liked seeing a record label bossman in the bar area.

a man playing bingo

the first venue i went to tonight for performing was an 'animal club' but the show seemed to be a no-go. i showed up a little early and saw no one, so i left to go to the gas station, as well as to get a sandwich and then print things at the library. i just didn't have the time to wait around for someone i recognized when there were errands to run. i hadn't eaten yet and usually i eat before i get to the venue, since it is cheaper that way. and i knew i was low on gas, no doubt a high priority to take care of when i don't want to be stranded anywhere. and i wanted to be ready for a job interview for the next day, and it meant getting to the library before closing time. i like being prepared for things. there was some confusion as to when the show started, as the facebook invite said 7pm and the paper calendar near the front door said 8pm. if it started at 7pm then there is something wrong when i didn't see the event coordinator right before the start of the show, they are usually the first to arrive. i just saw a dark and empty room. when i got back an hour later, still didn't see anyone that i recognized. but there was a man i talked to wearing an EMT jacket, and he decided to play bingo. i was invited to do the same thing, but said i wanted to get to the next venue. and i did, much earlier than typical. it also meant i didn't sign up all that early, knowing i had more time to do so. another comic offered some of his fries, so i had some. i started off my set with a 'WTF?' in reference to earlier comics wanting to riff on what was said before them. it sounded like the first show still happened though, which sounded kind of odd. this venue does mean something to me as it was part of the '2 funerals and a wedding' that propelled me into stand-up comedy back in 2008. it was a co-worker who was dying of cancer, and his benefit event was there.
   i had a meeting in the afternoon, but it seemed to be a waste of time as it didn't seem to fall under what i would call 'a means to an end' in terms of what would get me back to work. so this is another program that i may have to abandon, much like the one from the previous day. and that is all i have to say about that.

elf movie

while waiting to perform tonight, i saw the movie 'elf' on the TV monitors near the bar. i recall seeing it while still living in suburban Chicago in late 2003, early 2004. it reminded me of a man i met at a new year's eve gathering, that asked the band to play something Italian. when i moved to Minnesota just over a month later, i was fine with leaving this man behind and we haven't been in contact since. i was telling a newer comic this story, who i guess doesn't have a nickname yet but for some reason 'cul-de-sac' sounds like a good one since he has a joke about it. although i took 4 years of French in high school and said i would look up the real, literal, meaning, as i knew full well the one in the joke wasn't it. no surprise, it is literally 'bottom of the bag' or 'sack', which makes sense as to why it refers to a dead-end road in a residential area. although his version in the joke is funnier, so i get it as to why he doesn't use the literal meaning. since he liked the story i was telling about this man, i decided to put it in my set tonight. can't ignore what i know probably will work. another one i did was about changing grocery stores.
  i went to a meeting just before midday but it seemed to go nowhere. i said i wanted to be back at work and the moderator said 'i don't know what to tell you' so i am fine that no other meetings have been scheduled. reminds me too much of a therapist i once saw that i quit after two sessions. if i don't have to be there, then why go if i am not enjoying it or it doesn't seem to be worthwhile? and why did the moderator say this to me, did they just not want to help me? i will never know.

drew barrymore in 'scream'

   i went to perform tonight after attending a comic potluck. notable about the show i was in was a performer in drag doing two scenes. first was wearing a dress looking like the british flag, or 'union jack'. I had to explain what this was to someone else, they weren't familiar with the reference even though it was in a rolling stones song, 'get off of my cloud'. actually, it was my dad that informed me of what it meant after i heard the stones song. the second was doing the drew Barrymore lines from the first 'scream' movie. i found this performer after the show and said i liked the second one more than the first as i understood it better. same is true with seeing burlesque, where it is funnier when one knows what is being parodied. and various phone songs were included, first was Adele's 'hello'. another was 'telephone' by lady gaga. i did ones about changing grocery stores, a comment about karaoke, and meeting the hamm's beer bear.
   i brought some reese's peanut butter to the potluck. as usual, i enjoyed seeing some people at the potluck, but was bummed about who i didn't see there. i liked seeing how there was plenty of egg nog, so i drank a decent amount. i didn't know at first what to get for the potluck, but when i was at a Walgreen just before i departed for the event i saw it and said 'why not'? since i like it and it was cheaper than some other things there. when i arrived i wasn't sure where to leave it, then i asked the event coordinator and was informed how the empty bowl was a good place for it. i would have liked spending some more time there but stage time means a lot to me. especially when i knew the big dog would be the show closer at this one. he helped me with getting a better pose for the 'ring of honor' photo that i did with the MC. it was the second time i had done an open-mic, or guest set, at this show, which is held once a month.

charlie brown play in hudson

i went to Hudson, wi, to see a play this afternoon. it was called 'Charlie brown christmas'. the second part was a live version of the TV special. the first part was partially a bio of Charles schulz, the creator. disappointing how there were some microphone problems, but otherwise i loved it. i wiped away a tear near the end, when Charlie was trying to decorate the tree. as a big Charlie brown fan i am thankful i found it in the cavalcade of public events on facebook. in the lobby was snoopy's doghouse, and Lucy's psychiatric help stand. after the play i walked across the former toll bridge, it has a great view of I-94.
   when i got back to the twin cities i reminded myself how there was another facebook event. it was at a micro-brewery, inside the former hamm's brewery complex. i bought two postcards, both were of the hamm's complex. later on i made it to the grocery store, but it wasn't cooper's. i don't like how they bag my groceries, so i went to an Aldi's where i can bag my own groceries. it was cheaper as well, and they had everything on my list except egg nog. actually they did have that, but i wanted a quart carton and they only had half-gallon. so i got the egg nog at a trader joe's.
   i also did some karaoke, two songs. it was 'waterloo' by abba, and 'cult of personality' by living colour. the MC had a darth vader Christmas sweater on. my second song was the final one of the night, it is not too often where i see them close up shop on the karaoke. nobody else wanted to sing that late i guess.

annie at the credit union

i went into a credit union in downtown st. paul at midday, as i saw an invite by email about their anniversary celebration. one year at their current location. i like getting invited to events, and i liked getting a good deal on my car loan with them last year. it was spire credit union, and they had name recognition from being a sponsor at the st. paul saints baseball games. one part of the event, besides the cookies and doing 'plinko', was having the lead actress from 'annie' make an appearance. the show is being held nearby, at the Ordway. i got a photo with her and i thought it was funny to hear her talk about meeting famous people that she didn't know, such as musician stevie nicks.
   i went to two venues tonight to perform karaoke. i did one song at the first, found out that there was a private party happening but the MC got me the permission that i needed. i did 'hold on tight' by ELO there. then i went to another venue, after getting some reese's peanut butter at a target store. at the second venue i did two songs. they were 'in america' by the Charlie daniels band, and 'mandolin rain' by bruce Hornsby- and the range.
   it is hard to tell if there has been any substantial movement on getting a job again. i was called for an interview, and it has been scheduled for next week. but no word yet about the one that asked mt to get the finger prints done at the UPS. i hate the feeling of 'hurry up and wait', but i have no choice but to jump through some hoops.

hamm's beer bear

met the hamm's beer bear at a st. paul bar tonight, called skinner's. got a photo with the mascot, and a baseball-type card as well. the bar was crowded, as so many people wanted a picture with the bear. i said 'worth it!' as i was leaving the bar, as an opportunity like this one doesn't happen too often. i found mention of it in a city pages email, as i get a regular email from them. thankful i read this one, as i don't read all of them.
   I went to an open-mic in the evening, after watching 'big bang theory' and 'young sheldon'. i spoke of this event, along with ones about comment in Arabic, grocery store bags, and the lady at the karaoke bar.
   i did a notable thing this morning, and that was calling my cell phone provider. recently i had been getting messages saying i was running out of minutes on my plan, or had run out of minutes, and would get overage charges. i found out it was no big deal to switch to a different plan, and it wouldn't cost much more for the base plan, just a penny more per month. my original plan, which i have had for more than 8 years, is no longer available. i knew the billing cycle was ending soon, so i decided that today needed to be the day to call about it. i was reminded of how i don't like having to call for customer service too often, as i was on hold for a while before i got somebody with a pulse.
  another notable thing was picking up a package from a UPS store in the afternoon. i had ordered two pinstripe bowl items from the iowa hawk shop- a button and a shirt- and i didn't want it left in front of the door to my home. much like having a PO box, i like having it left at a secure location where i can pick it up when i have the time.

zantigo tacos

i went to a zantigo taco location this evening. it had been a taco bell at one point. i got a 3-taco combo, and some tea. found out the sour cream was extra, wanted to keep the total low. so i said don't include any sour cream. i had been to this kind of taco place before, but it had been a while. there once was a zantigo in downtown st. paul, in the skyway. but i didn't even go to that location very often, as i preferred getting a sandwich at erbert gerbert. i decided to go to zantigo after going to burger king first. the line just wasn't moving there, and i know this speaks louder than any other statement that one can make- just plain leaving. it looked decidedly different than when it was a taco bell, more booths in this place now. it looks like it had just re-opened less than a week ago, after being closed for just over five months. good chance i will make it back there at some point, as i did go ever so often when it was open before.
   i went to the karaoke venue tonight. i did 2 songs- 'born country' by Alabama, and 'free to decide' by the cranberries. in the afternoon i went to record a podcast, first time in over a year on a podcast. in the morning was the finger printing appointment at a UPS store. there were two others who had shown up to get the same thing done. it was annoying how i had to keep doing some of the finger prints as the system wouldn't accept them, but the attendant said sometimes she just has to push them through. she said she wasn't expecting to get these kinds of appointments during the holiday season, as it can take away from helping customers that are there to send packages. i went to the one in Roseville as it had an earlier appointment available. i wanted to get it done and over with so i could do other things later on in the day.

kiwi shoe shampoo

i got some dress shoes for a date last year and i saw how the winter weather took its toll, as expected, when i was wearing them the day of an interview last week. so it made me think that shoe polish was a good idea, something i had never used before. when i went to target i found 'shoe shampoo' by kiwi and decided to get that instead. also proof of how we now live in the internet age, as i searched online about how to use it properly. it meant finding a paper grocery store bag to lay down as a mat while cleaning the shoes. i got a rag out of the back of my car as well. i liked how it didn't take long, and once dried the shoes looked really good again.
  there seemed to be some movement on the job front, but hard to tell. one agency spoke of a job that has duties very close to what i was most recently doing, and i was advised to help complete forms related to background checks and get a fingerprint appointment at a UPS store. never had to get finger prints for a job before. drug test, yes I've done those. still don't know yet if i need to interview for the position, or the start date. but since i had to make an appointment for the finger printing, it means having to wait until the next morning.
   i went to three events this evening. first was an announcement from the loft literary center, i am a member there. thankful i got in, it had 'sold out' at least once but was told some seats had opened up at the last minute. then there was two open-mics to attend. one was near the Vikings stadium, first time there. the other is my regular place to go perform.

home improvement services

sometimes i get comments on what is written in this forum. when i wrote about doing karaoke, 'radiohead' by creep, as well as a friend being on comedy central, a comment was left- in Arabic. i noticed the commenter seemed to have a facebook-type page, when i pressed on the link, and i saw plenty of pictures of faucets, carpet, and vacuum cleaners. the comment itself i needed more time to figure out, especially when i wanted to go perform in the evening. when i shared it as a facebook posting i was advised by mason city to paste it there and have the yemen native translate it. he liked mason city's comment, saying 'good chance it is about dick pills'. although my searching seems to say this is likely not the case. after i was done performing i found out there was a service from 'ask bing'. and there was 3 hits. the last one spoke of water leaks detection, and some mention of 'alahsa', which may be in Saudi arabia. there was also pictures of a man in bib overalls and using a floor buffer. the other picture was of a man using a wrench on pipes under a faucet/sink. my next comment on facebook was 'great!' it appears the comment was an ad for home improvement services! of course i learned something from this experience, and i do have a love of learning. but it sure was a weird way to learn something about a language i knew nothing about. suffice it to say, it appears that the comment had nothing to do with writing about doing karaoke or a friend being on TV. so it does appear to be like some other comments i have fielded before, where it has nothing to do with what i actually wrote. sometimes this is called 'spam'.
  i went to the library in the afternoon and filed 27 more job applications with a bank, so the total is now 72. i did hear from a former boss, who is now at that bank. but it is hard to say how much help he can be on getting me a job there. i applied with a few insurance companies as well, and one of them had an assessment to complete online, a simulation of the work i would do for them.
   i made it to the performance venue in the evening. it was a night of having to deal with a disruptive man, i felt like it took too long for the bartender to call the police. he did it twice, and this was in a part of town where there was plenty of police nearby. i am thankful that the man left for good before my time onstage, i was on near the end of the show. one comic kept laughing about it, i said there was nothing funny about it, to me it was just plain sad. i did ones about grocery store bags, my iowa sweatshirt, being touched while doing karaoke, old school terms, 3 appointments in one day, and the comment on my blog in Arabic. the normal show runner showed up but apparently was ill, explaining why there was somebody else serving as MC, and also apparently why we were not being filmed.

rip van winkle

i was familiar with the rip van winkle story, it was by Washington irving. about a man who woke up after being asleep for a while. recently i acquired a CD that was a musical based on this story. most notable to me has to be the track that is titled 'take a drink, van winkle'. i know i once wrote a poem in reference to this story, about how i finally woke up and started to live my life more fully than i had. based upon the liner notes included with the CD, it looks like they decided to modernize the story and bring rip into the present time. and at one point go back to the 1970s, not sure why that time period was chosen. i am probably more familiar with another story by irving, which is 'the legend of sleepy hollow'. i recall my dad often saying 'Ichabod crane' when i was young, not knowing what he was referring to. then he told me Ichabod was a teacher in the story.
   it was a fairly leisurely day, besides the typical things that needed to be done. this included doing the dishes, trash, and recycle. also getting more comedy souvenirs into sheet protectors. i watched some of the Vikings football game, they lost to the Carolina panthers. then i went out to perform at an open-mic, resistable comic is show-runner there. she spoke of the upcoming new year's day brunch. i did ones about grocery store bags, wearing an iowa sweatshirt, being touched at the karaoke bar, and yearbooks. i made it home in time in the evening to see 'the simpsons', it was another appearance of Kelsey grammer as sideshow bob.


    

bethany lutheran church

went to a meetup event at Bethany Lutheran church in Minneapolis this afternoon, a potluck. it was for a museum group. i did one event with them this year, at the Minnesota history center library. i brought a vegetable tray, the invite said they didn't want to see 20 bags of potato chips.
  also did some karaoke in the evening, i sang 'losing my religion' by REM. saw the cardinal fan there. he did 'lean on me'.
   went to an event at union depot in st. paul as well, found it on facebook. also found a Charlie brown play due to social media, and will be attending the play next week. and i decided to de-friend 4 people, one of them was an inactive account. 2 of them were from my hometown, and i just hadn't heard from them in a while. no facebook activity from them such as birthday wishes, and hadn't seen them at class reunions either. every so often i decide to clean out my friends list, so i may cut a few more people real soon. i believe in my friend list having some meaning, which is why i am at less than 300 friends and some of my fellow performers have more than a thousand. i liked seeing how i reached the 'century mark' for people pressing 'love' on my postings, so i shared it. the posting showed some photos, so i thanked the people in them for helping me get there. when i reached the century mark in reviews with e-bay, i printed the page. so this is another notable 'benchmark' in my online activity.

creep, radiohead

i did some karaoke tonight, 3 songs. one of them was 'creep' by radiohead. i still make some nice discoveries about my song selections. in this case i said the lyrics were profound on this one. 'i wish i was special/but i am a creep/i am a weirdo/what the hell am i doing here/i don't belong here'. it  reminds me of some of the demons i have wrestled with before, and how performing has helped defeat many of these demons. but also how i was singing this in a bar, and i once said i refused to go to bars as they are full of loud, rude, obnoxious people. i sure have evolved. the other two songs were 'lord mr. ford' by jerry reed, and 'rock me amadeus' by falco.
   there were plenty of articles being shared on facebook about the comedy central special that some of my fellow comics were going to be on. this included the yemen native, school bouncer, and Maryland. the fourth i did not know. the show is hosted by kevin hart. there was also some features from public radio about the yemen native. he is notable in my circle of friends, helping me with selecting an outfit for a date a year ago. also with supplying inspiration to find my immigrant ancestors. he even posted a story of growing up in yemen, as well as Ethiopia, and finally immigrating to America. i said i had to take off my glasses after reading the posting, it was a long one, as it moved me to tears. i sometimes whine about my struggles, but it was nothing like what he shared.
  this was a night when i really needed to go perform. i was feeling low. why, i don't know. cabin fever maybe? spending too much time in my home? whatever it was, i know better how to cope with this feelings now. it probably didn't help that i went to a venue tonight after eating at an arby's, and finding out it was closed for a private event. but these things happen.
    i made an appointment with a temp agency this afternoon. but it was just to register, and that meant completing a lot of paperwork. so no job yet of course. i'm told i am qualified though, all of that experience, but i have heard this one before. it doesn't make me feel any better to hear 'potential' or anything close to it. i just want results, who doesn't?


    

ancestry DNA kit

the ancestry DNA kit arrived! or at least, i decided to pick it up at the post office today. usually i just go check my PO box once a week. but i didn't want to wait until Saturday as i checked amazon and found out my book order was there. not too big a deal on doing the DNA test. most important thing was activating it online. then i found out i had to wait to submit my sample, as it said 'do not eat 30 minutes prior'. i had just had some chili for lunch. it took more spit than expected to get it up to the 'fill line'. but when i did i got the cap on, and shook it to let the solution settle inside fully. then it was back to the post office to get it mailed to Utah. i might be surprised by the results, but it sounds like it will be 6 weeks from now.
  i went to a job fair at a hotel near mall of America before midday, same venue as before, when i attended near the end of October. nut not too much available, maybe some temp agencies. but i am thankful i went early, in the first hour, as i know some companies leave early. it was hard to compete with the construction noise in the background though.
   in the evening, after watching 'big bang theory' and 'young sheldon', i eventually went to sing some karaoke. i did 2 songs, 'all apologies' by nirvana, and 'wrong side of memphis' by trisha Yearwood. i had somebody try to get my attention during the second song, found out after i was done that it was an off-duty bartender. she touched me around a front pocket and told me to relax. i said i take performing seriously.

interviewing seminar

it was a busy day for appointments. the first was an interviewing seminar, it took up half of the day. but i learned some helpful things, which of course is the point. such as asking for a business card at interviews, makes it easier to follow up later on with thank-you notes. another thing was to be wary of jobs where one is told that the duties are not clearly defined. this makes sense as well, as i am used to hearing what my 'marching orders' are. there was even some mock interviews done near the end of the session, but it was running over the time allotment so i had to leave. i wanted to get some lunch before an in-person interview in the west metro. it left me a little pinched for time, and i ended up missing the turn to the venue and arrived late. the interview still happened, though i was asked about things like stockbrokers that i know nothing about. and the duties were not clearly defined either, i really was told 'we don't know what we will need you for'. in addition, the interviewer asked me what i was doing for the weekend, which doesn't sound like an interview question. i deferred to facebook, as it has become my de facto 'admin assistant' since so many event invites go there. in reality, what i was thinking is that i usually don't think about the weekend during the middle of the week. it was rush hour already by the time i got out, so i was kind of leisurely on getting home. and it meant the phone interview- the final appointment of the day- was conducted in my car on the top level of a parking ramp. the interviewer didn't need to know this, so i didn't say that i was away from home at the time.
   i also performed at the comedy club tonight. i did ones about word one, rathskeller, meetings, and the 3 appointments. after that i went home, i knew it was a good idea as i already was tired. i watched a rerun of  'family ties' on antenna TV, i do recall seeing it before. it was about Mallory becoming an advice columnist.

two coins, two wishes

i got some snack food at a CVS pharmacy in the early evening, the one at the university and snelling intersection in st. paul. i picked up two coins there, both pennies. since one of them was Canadian i said i had another one for a wishing well. this one was found in the hall after i had paid for the snack food, two small packs of peanuts. i pitched both into a wishing well after attending a comedy show tonight. of course this includes the other Canadian penny that was also found this week, a day earlier.
and since it was two coins, i decided to make two wishes. then it was on to another venue, where i did have stage time. i did ones about the Grinch, the Amadeus song, word one, and trying to be a pest. word one was inspired by an interaction with a bartender at this venue.
   i went to the library to print more forms, the snack food stop was a part of my activities for the day. looks like i have another in-person interview this week. Wednesday will be a busy one, an interviewing seminar, in-person interview, then a phone interview.
   i liked seeing the photographer, and the button, tonight, at the first venue. both are there all this week. the photographer spoke up upcoming surgery, and i spoke of recent visits to karaoke venues with the button. notable as these were karaoke venues i had just discovered.

huey lewis and the news

i did some karaoke tonight, 3 songs. the first was 'heart of rock and roll' by huey lewis and the news. i recall when i was young how many cities were mentioned in it, but i am still not sure what 'liberty town' is. seemed appropriate on some level to do a song by this band when huey was in the movie 'duets', about karaoke. the other two songs i did were 'tainted love' by soft cell, and 'hallelujah' by rufus wainwright. i am familiar with how leonard cohen wrote it, and the rufus version was part of the first 'shrek' movie, on the soundtrack. this was a new karaoke venue for me, needing to replace the now-closed wild tymes. sparse crowd at first, but i was told it was due to the weather. it started out raining but by the time i left the bar i saw all of the snow that had fallen. when the roads get bad i tell myself it is best to stay off the interstates and stick with roads with traffic lights. i am going slower and it is easier to stop when i need to.
   there was another appointment, before midday. but i am still not sure how it is going to help get me back to work. i am still waiting to hear the results of two interviews last week. i got another appointment scheduled for two weeks from now, i had to ask if it was the earliest one available. some mention of needing a day off each week to get caught up on paperwork. there was a small job fair happening onsite, but the companies present didn't have jobs in my field. after the appointment i got a box of cereal at a family dollar store, knowing i would likely run out before my typical weekly grocery shopping day this weekend. and i took a walk around the neighborhood after that. it yielded some coins, 1 dime and 6 pennies. those went into my change bank of course. i also picked up a Canadian penny, but i will likely just find a donation jar somewhere to put it in such as at a taco bell.

christmas open haus

i went to the Christmas open haus at the Germanic American institute in st. paul this afternoon. i got a flyer about it at the Schmidt brewery festival. i ate before going there, but i liked getting some apple strudel there, just before they stopped serving food. i was pleased with finding a rathskeller as well, the 4th i have found in Minnesota and the third in st. paul. reminds me of what Dad liked to say when i was a youngster, 'you can find him in the rathskeller'. this was in the 'high-rent district' of the city, i ended up parking about a block away, near the james j. hill home.
   i also went to the USA women's hockey game at the xcel center, a warmup for the Olympic games. the americans lost to Canada, 2-1, in overtime. it was scoreless after the 1st, and the USA went up 1-0 early in the 2nd. Canada tied it 1-1 near the end of the 2nd, and the winning goal was in the first minute of overtime. next game in this series is in Winnipeg in two days. i saw this matchup at the xcel 4 years ago. i got a program, and no surprise how many of the players are from Minnesota, as i recall 7. so it makes sense to have a game in front of the home fans. the 10pm news on WCCO said about 9,000 were in attendance, made sense as the lower bowl was nearly full and no seats were sold in the upper deck. there was a flag giveaway, and i noticed the box said 'made in china'. so i guess that flag-making is being outsourced too, i didn't get the memo. i claimed one of them after the game, even though i already had a few 'stick flags' i thought it was a little sad to see it abandoned.
   'the simpsons' episode was about lisa attending Harvard. and her family doing her birthday celebration, of course this was familiar as they brought back the Michael Jackson song 'happy birthday lisa' for this event.

novitiate movie

   saw the movie 'novitiate' this afternoon in Lakeville. Melissa leo is in it, this was a big reason why i saw it. she plays the mother superior in it. she was also in 'frozen river' and 'the fighter'. this movie is about a teenager that decides to become a nun in the American south in the 1960s. i may have attended protestant churches as a youngster but movies about the catholic church still interest me. i was also reminded of a visit to san diego in 2006, to the Carmelite monastery, to visit with a nun that i recalled from my time doing call-center work. she was power-of-attorney for her mom's life insurance policy. i am not sure if i had been to this movie theater before, so for this reason i decided to take a good look around. this was a big theater, and some of the artwork on the wall was of various popular movies that i recognized.
   after the movie i went to the cracker barrel store, also in Lakeville. i don't get there very often, but i was pleased to find a Charlie brown book there. before the movie i wanted to eat, and first went to an arby's but i left as the line seemed to be too long for me. so i went to something else nearby, a taco bell, in Burnsville, for lunch. i enjoyed talking  with another patron while waiting in line to place my order. i said i hadn't eaten at a taco bell much lately, since the closest one to me had closed. and they are trying to re-purpose it, but it is still not yet open. nice how we can find common ground if we are looking for it. though food can often be a common ground, since we all need to eat.
   i did some karaoke in the evening, 'get over it' by the eagles. this song was on my mind as i spoke if it in response to a facebook posting by the d.c. native. i feel like this song is still relevant as it has lines about 'don't blame me' and 'victim of this, victim of that'.

say it ain't so, weezer

   i did some karaoke at two different venues tonight. the second one was a new one to me, in Maplewood. i found out about the venue from one of two facebook karaoke groups i am in. i did 'say it ain't so' by weezer there, it had been on my list for a while. somehow it just speaks to me, ever since i first heard it many years ago. i think what helped was the line about 'like father, stepfather' since i have both. i am familiar with how it is about drinking, and that explains another line- 'drowning in the flood'. i like the video to this one, cramped quarters near the laundry equipment. and seeing the frontman drinking from a juice box as the song was ending. i had heard it at karaoke venues before, one of those was at a pizza place in suburban Chicago back in February while i was doing my annual visit to the area. both venues have a monitor that list the upcoming performers, not every venue does this. a man liked hearing it and we spoke for a while after i was done with this song. he ended up doing leonard Cohen's 'hallelujah'. i said i was more familiar with the versions that were in the first 'shrek' movie.
   the first venue i went to has the children's entertainer as MC, and we hugged much like before. she had what looked like a Disney princess dress, likely since it was an all-ages event and there were some under-18 people singing. i did 'walking on sunshine' by katrina and the waves. i recall it being in the movie 'look who's talking', the bruce willis baby movie.
   it took a while for my computer to re-boot after updates this afternoon. another contact at a temp agency asked for a copy of my resume by email. and another appointment was scheduled, for early next week.